Valved bedpan



Ag 12, 1952 DE MERLE E. EYCKART ETAL 2,606,327

` vALvED BEDPAN I n Filed NOV. 26, 1948 IIA 'IIL Ylllllllllllllllllll Patented'Aug. 12, l1.952

VALVED BEDPAN De Merle E. Eckart, Abilene, and John R. "Rosenleaf, Enterprise, Kans.

Application November 26, 1948, Serial No. 62,113

s claims. (cl. 4 -1 12)` The ypresent invention relatesto a bed pan, and more particularly to a container primarily intended for use in connection with the supporting mechanism of our co-pending application Serial Number 62,112, filed November 26, 1948, for Bed Pan Device, although it will be obvious that the invention may have other uses.

YThe primary object of the invention is to provide a deviceof the character described including valve means which will normally be closed, primarily to prevent the emanation ofodors from the contents of the vessel, but which will open automatically, in response to extremely light pressuresexerted thereon by materials deposited in the container, to permit the passage of such materials freely into the interior of the vessel, the valve means being of such character that it will reclose promptly after the passage of such mate-- rial, to provide a substantially air-tight closure for the vessel. Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, our invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of va bed pan constructed in accordance with our present invention, and shown located in an opening in a mattress, in accordance with the disclosure of our said co-pending application; Y

Fig.2 is a section, upon a somewhat enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3" is a broken perspective view of one form of valve means;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section, upon a further enlarged scale, showing the upper end of a vessel with a modified form of valve means associated therewith;

Fig. 5 is a fragmental perspective view of the assembly illustrated in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged, fragmental perspective view of a detail of construction incorporated in the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that we have illustrated a container or vessel Ill, having an open, upwardly directed mouth, disposed in an opening II in a mattress I2, the mouth of the container being flush with the upper surface of the mattress. In this form of the invention, we prefer to provide the vessel I0 with arolled bead I3 externally surrounding' the perimeter of its mouth.

Valve means is indicated generally by the reference numeral I4 and comprises a tubular sleeve of sheet rubber, synthetic rubber, or suitably treated fabric whose upper end'is preferably set,l

by vulcanization or otherwise, to provide an outwardly rolled collar. I5 proportioned anddesigned to overlie and'embrace the bead I3. Preferably, an elastic cord orcoiled spring I6 will be suitably engaged inthe extremerim of the upper end of the sleeve I4 so that, when the'r parts are assembled in the manner 'illustrated in Figs. l and 2, the sleeve I4 will be rmly supported Yby the'mouth `of the vessel I0, the upper end of said sleeve having a substantially air-tight fit with said vessel mouth, and the body of said sleeve depending into the vessel I0.

The lower end of the sleeve I4 is pinched, in the manner illustrated, so that its opposite terminal wall portions I1 and I8 normally lie in mutual engagement, in the manner clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, to provide a closure which is subs stantially air-tight. The inherent resiliency of the material from which the sleeve `I4 is made is such that the very slight downward pressure exerted upon the wall portions lI'I and I8 by any material deposited in the sleeve I4 will be suff ficient to separate the wall portions I'I and I 8 to permit such materials to pass through the lower end of the sleeve I4 and into the vessel I0.

Due to the inherent resiliency of such material,

the wall portions I'I and I8'will immediately return into mutual engagement after .passage of such materials to close the interior of the vessel I0 against the emanation of gases therefrom.

In the form ofthe invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6, the container 20 is distorted to providev a perimetral bead' or perimetrally spaced protuberances 2I adjacent its open mouth; and valve means 22, formed of any suitable material, is adapted to be supported upon said mouth to depend into the Vessel 20 in the manner illustrated. In this form of the invention, the valve means comprises a tubular hopper 23 which may be formed of sheet metal, plastic, or any other suitable material having reasonable rigidity. At its upper end, the hopper 23 is formed with an outwardly rolled flange 24 adapted to engage over the open mouth of the vessel 20, preferably having a reasonably tight engagement with saidmouth to prevent any substantial flow of gases therepast. At its lower end, the hopper 23 is formed to provide an open mouth 25 of suitable contour.

Two perforated ears 26 are supported by straps 21 suitably secured to opposite walls of the hopper 23, said ears projecting beyond such walls to dispose their perforations in axial alignment; and trunnion elements 28 carried upon a valve leaf 29 are oscillably supported in the perforations of said ears. The arrangement of the parts is such that the leaf 29, in one position, will lie in engagement with a portion of the perimeter of. the open erfld V25of the -hopper 23, to'close"'the same. A' counterweight'30 is carried upon a prol jecting linger 29 of the leaf 29 and normally re,- siliently holds said leaf in such closing relation with the lower end of the hopper 23, in themanner illustrated in Fig. 4. The free edge of the leaf 29 is preferably bevelled in the mannerv trated at 3 I.

At the opposite side of the hopper, and SCQllled to the same two walls thereof are two perforated ears 32 carried by straps 373 and projecting beyond the adjacent wall of the hopper to dispose their perforations in axial' alignment, the commonfaxis of the perforations of the'ears'32` 'beingp'arallel with the common' axis of the` perforations'of'the ears 26; Trunnionelements 34 are 'oscillably' enteredin said perforations ofthe ears 32'to moun't a secondvalve leaf 35'upon the hopperin 'such a position as to engage 'and close'the remaining' portion'of the perimeter'o'f'the'lower'open end`25 of the' hopper 23'. 'A counterweight 36 carried'by a iinger 36"on the leaf 35 tendsto hold said'leaf 35"resiliently insuch closing association with the' lower nd'25 of' the 'hopper 23;` The free edge 'of the leaf 35 is preferably'b'evelledin the" manner illustr'ated'at 3 1 for the 'illustrated cooperative engagement with the bevellededgeB'l 'oi the leaf It will be seen that'the leaves 29 and 35 normally cooperate to providea' substantially' gastight closure "for the' open' lower end 25.' tof. 'the hopper'23;"but'that,'since the counterweights 30 and 36' only slightly overbalan'ceV said leaves, eve'n very small* quantities 'of materials'deposited upon said leaves Will'ca'use the' leaves'toswir'ig' dow'nw'ardly'to permit passage of sueh'materials'into the'interior 'of the 've'ss'eli 2.0; and that, irrimedi-l ately'after the passage 'of'such materials; the leaves will return automatically to their illustrated positions to 'reestablish the closure?" The interior'surfaces of the valve'means of-.both

forms' of. our invention 'will' preferably b`e 'waxed' or otherwise'rende'red extremely smooth'and impervious so that materials deposited thereonwill not tend to adhere thereto, and to facilitateclean--' ing. If. desired.' the parts of the valve means of both forms may be 'constructed of extremely inexpensive materials, whereby they mayl be dis'- posable; and 'of course'the vessels' I0 and 2U may also be made disposable. In the form of invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6, if the rolled portion 24 4 of the hopper is rigid, the vessel walls may be slightly distorted to permit passage of the rim of said rolled portion past the bead or protuberances 2l for assembly and disassembly.

We claim as our invention:

1. A bed pan comprising a vessel having an open, upwardly-directed mouth, and normallyclosed valve means supported from said vessel mouth, saidvalve means having a portion removably' engaged with 'said ves' fselfmouth 'and comprising two relatively movable leaves disposed within said vessel below the mouth thereof, said leaves being normally yieldably lightly biased toward mutual contact with each other to close communication between the interior of said vessel below said 'l'ea'ves and tl'ie atmosphere but being separable iii response to downward pressure exerted thereon by 'small amounts of material deposited thereon.

2. A bed pan comprising a vessel having an open, upwardly-directed mouth, and normallyclosed valve` meansl 'supported from said vessel, said valve'me'ans'comprising a tubular Hsleevefof liquid-"p'rocf,"elastic material having one vend en# gaged With'the mouth of said ve'sse'l and its other end 'located within'said vessel, opposite walls o1 said last-named end of said sleeve'being vnormally7 resiliently pressed tog'thefrto form a' closure'ybut being readily separable by DreSSuie applied there between. 3. A`bed Ypan comprising a vessel having an open, upwardly-directed"mouth, and 'norm'ally'f' closed valve mean'ss'uppo't'ed from said vessel, said valve means compri'siiiga generally tubular. element having a 1`5eri'n`e-t`ral'V Harige near one end removably engageable'with said vessel mouth to support `said tubular element withinsa'd vvessel',` and a pair' ofl valve leaves vhiilgedly supported' near the 'other end o'f- 'said tubular 'elementand biased toward mutual engagement' to 'provide' closure, b'ut swing'a'ble' 'otf such engagement by slightldowniward 'pressure applied'rthereto'by'snall amounts of material depositethenl" m' DE MERLEEECKART.

JQHN'R. 'RosENLEAF REFERENCES CITED The vollojwing references are or record in the le of this patent: 

